Posts Tagged ‘auto-braking’

Auto braking is now commonplace on high-end vehicles like the new BMW 750i, but will soon be on most vehicles at all price points.

Ten major vehicle manufacturers from the U.S., Europe and Japan have jointly agreed to make automatic emergency braking systems standard on all their future vehicles.

An advanced form of forward collision warning systems that have already been shown to significantly reduce crashes, have already begun to migrate from high-end luxury models to more mainstream products and a number of automakers already offer auto braking technology as optional equipment. But the announcement means it would become all but ubiquitous.

Trailblazing!

The move appears to allow the auto industry to take the lead in rolling out auto braking systems, rather than waiting for the federal government to mandate the technology, as had been widely anticipated. At an event in Ruckersville, Virginia today, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief Mark Rosekind said the agreement puts the rollout of the technology on the “fast track,” calling it “life-saving technology that everyone should have.”

Ford is betting that an array of advanced safety gear will help sell the 2013 Fusion sedan.

“Safety doesn’t sell.” Or so went the conventional wisdom that followed the failure of Ford’s effort, in 1957, to introduce what was, for that era, a raft of breakthrough safety gear.

This time, the maker is a little more confident that safety really does attract buyers – something that was underscored by a new survey it conducted showing that the latest alert and assist systems could provide a market advantage for the all-new Fusion debuting later this year.

Drivers are well aware their limitations, according to a new survey done for Ford by an independent polling firm and involving a sample of more than 2,000 drivers from across the U.S. The pollster found nearly 50% of those contacted have fallen asleep while driving or know someone who has; nearly six in 10 blame blind spots for accidents or near collisions and nearly four in 10 of those surveyed fear parallel parking.

Your Inside Source!

“We found the drivers we talked to were definitely inclined toward features that provided real practical benefits by alerting them to potentially hazardous situations they may have missed,” according to Billy Mann, managing director of Penn Schoen Berland, which did survey for Ford.

Volvo's City Safety system has been updated to help prevent pedestrian collisions, as well.

The “fender-bender” is the bane of rush-hour travelers. But a new study says auto-braking safety systems, which are designed to react automatically should a driver miss an impending collision, are having, if you will, a major impact, preventing at least one in four rear-end collisions.

A study of insurance claims by the Highway Loss Data Institute found that Volvo’s City Safe system, in particular, reduced the number of vehicle damage claims by 27%, while insurance claims related to bodily injuries dropped by 51% on vehicles using the technology.

A Safe Bet!

“This is our first real-world look at an advanced crash avoidance technology, and the findings are encouraging,” said Adrian Lund, president of the HLDI.

The City Safety system uses an infrared laser sensor attached to the windshield to monitor traffic in front of a vehicle. At speeds ranging from 2 to 19 mph – typical on crowded urban and in rush hour traffic – the system will detect a potential collision. If the driver doesn’t react by the time the two cars are 18 feet apart, it will automatically jam on the brakes.